What did you buy today? Post your latest purchase!

[RAPo]

Got a hioki af-105, fond memories from my youth.

[armandine2]

deleted by poster - not on topic

[mnementh]

A1 SIZE CUTTING MAT

   

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08FM3ZP4V

Today I found this one; a 5-layer mat with a nice metric side, and with the current 20% discount it's only $26.

When it gets here in a few days I'll followup with real pics and first impressions. If you're needing a new mat, this could be a killer deal. No idea if those outside the US can find this one with similar discount. 

mnem
*scrubbing a paint sprayer*

[Ed.Kloonk]

Want.

[Muttley Snickers]

I went completely nuts yesterday at the local bargain shop and bought a couple more 150 mm/6 inch steel rulers for 50 cents each, 2 covered clip boards for $2 each and a really nice A4 sized double sided cutting mat for $4.50, total spend was $9.50 so I’ve blown the budget again.   

[Ed.Kloonk]

Want that instead.

The A4 size is more realistic and practical, given the amount of mess on my bench.

[beanflying]

Want that instead.

The A4 size is more realistic and practical, given the amount of mess on my bench.

Spotlight has one of the best ranges of these in a range of sizes. The Birch one is a good mid price tough one.

[gamalot]

Some small 12V batteries, a long tweezers, yet another STM32-Nucleo board, and a low-end Sony soundbar.

[mnementh]

Want that instead.   The A4 size is more realistic and practical, given the amount of mess on my bench.

Yeah, the point for me was not to use as a cutting mat, but as primary work surface to protect my marble countertop slab workbench from dwagon-paw ham-fisted carelessness. 

If it would fit, I'd probably have gone with A0 to have as much coverage as possible. 

mnem
 

[mnementh]

A1 SIZE CUTTING MAT

   

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08FM3ZP4V

Today I found this one; a 5-layer mat with a nice metric side, and with the current 20% discount it's only $26.

When it gets here in a few days I'll followup with real pics and first impressions. If you're needing a new mat, this could be a killer deal. No idea if those outside the US can find this one with similar discount. 

FOLLOWUP:



*plop!* Oh yeah, baybee!!!




Construction is a really nice, dense 5-layer with solid layers and foam with just the right rigidity and a nice grippy surface, over 3mm thick. Heavy too; balanced on edge on my kitchen scale, it weighs 1.7Kg.  Even working right on it like this, outgassing plastic smell is barely noticeable. Much better than my last two mats. 



Print is nice and crisp, unlike many of the "green mats". 




The money shot: View from the "captain's chair". This pleases me...

So far, I quite like the initial quality of this mat. At $26, a steal of a deal... but evidently it is sold out right now.  I'd say it still warrants watching to see if it comes back in stock; even for a few dollars more than the Fiskars, I would take this one first. I like the protractor print better than the Fiskars nested rectangles, and it doesn't stink me out of the house.

mnem
Tinker-tinker... putter-putter...

[richnormand]

@mnementh
are these esd safe though, since this looks like to be your electronics bench?

[Muttley Snickers]

That mat would cause me to stare at the ceiling all day.   

[DiTBho]

Book, The Art of Multiprocessor Programming by Heirly

[Jackster]

Just bought a £300 Hakko FX-951 so I could buy and use a £70 wedge flat iron tip to remove a few £1 components off old boards as they are out of stock locally and the lead time is like 6-8 weeks with the manufacturer...   

[mnementh]

I did the same thing recently with a $31 Chinesium 858D hot-air rework station. 

mnem
never did get to fix that iPud with it tho...

[SiliconWizard]

You could have done the same even quicker with a chinesium hot plate like this for about $5: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005003372185200.html

I've bought one just to try and yeah it does the job for desoldering stuff, especially if you don't need very focused heat.

[Cubdriver]

I decided the other night to look for replacement Nixie and Panaplex drivers for several ongoing projects, and to my pleasant surprise found some on the Bay of Malevolence.  They arrived today.

Panaplex driver:


Nixie driver:


-Pat

[Jackster]

You could have done the same even quicker with a chinesium hot plate like this for about $5: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005003372185200.html

I've bought one just to try and yeah it does the job for desoldering stuff, especially if you don't need very focused heat.

I have one already, but the boards I have these parts on are double sided.

[innkeeper]

fake Fairchild MOSFETs off amazon

[mnementh]

@mnementh
are these esd safe though, since this looks like to be your electronics bench?

Nope. Primary purpose is to protect the benchtop; nothing more.

I'll worry about putting down a ESD-safe mat during the rare few times I'm ever working with such sensitive parts out of circuit; otherwise I'll continue just making sure I discharge myself before fondling my electronic junk.

mnem
 

[daqq]

fake Fairchild MOSFETs off amazon

Huh, instead of BS170 you just got regular BS.

[Messtechniker]

Now this is the point, where a curve tracer comes in handy.

See pics.

[ledtester]

Bought three of these for $1.30. Mainly for the turns-counting dials but also to play around with the negative capacitance.

[Gyro]

A pristine Fluke 25 and carrying case. I was ideally looking for a 27 but given the price and condition, I couldn't resist. It still reads spot on against my SVR-T reference. Lovely switch action!

[Cubdriver]

I’ve never seen a case like that - nice find.  (Though in the case of the Fluke 25/27, it’s sort of like buying a protective case for your brick - those things can double as impact weapons!) 

-Pat